ATLANTA — With J.R. Smith making his first start of the season Wednesday night in Atlanta, the future of Iman Shumpert remains up the air.

Though Shumpert started and scored five points with nine assists in a 95-91 win against the Hawks, the Knicks will likely move him to the bench when injured center Tyson Chandler returns in a few weeks.

According to sources, Knicks general manager Steve Mills has spoken to several teams about Shumpert, looking for frontcourt help. But those conversations are preliminary and the Knicks’ long-rumored interest in Denver’s rebounding power forward Kenneth Faried, who has been shopped since October, went nowhere, according to sources.

When asked if the Knicks talks with Denver were completely dead, a source close to the situation told The Post, “They were never alive.’’

Though the Knicks recently approached the Nuggets, the Nuggets have no interest in sending Faried, a Newark native, to the Knicks for Shumpert. The Nuggets just lost center JaVale McGee to a stress-fracture, giving them a lack of depth up front.

However, Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who has appeared to be down on Shumpert since the summer, did nothing to quell the possibility the guard eventually could be dealt somewhere.

“I’ll mention it to him [but] it’s a part of our business,’’ Woodson said. “I always try to tell young players if your name is being floated in trade rumors, that’s a good thing. It means someone wants you. It’s not bad. The best players get traded. At the end of the day, you still got to play. You’re still in a Knick uniform.’’

Sources say the whole scenario has been Knicks-driven as the Nuggets want more attractive assets before parting with Faried. To the Knicks’ chagrin, the Nuggets will want a first-round pick if they deal Faried and the Knicks don’t have any upcoming first-rounders to offer.

Faried was drafted in Shumpert’s class in 2011 and their salaries match up. On Oct. 21, The Post reported new Nuggets personnel director Jared Jeffries was in Green Bay, Wis., scouting the Knicks just as the Faried rumors were heating up and had dinner with Mills before the preseason game.

But Mills is in a tough spot as he looks to make any deal because of the Knicks’ draft situation. Denver already has the Knicks’ first-round pick this year from the Carmelo Anthony trade. The Knicks traded away their 2016 pick in the Andrea Bargnani deal. Under NBA rules, they are forbidden from trading their 2015 or 2017 pick. The earliest first-round pick they can deal is 2018.

The Post reported in July Woodson was ticked at Shumpert for leaving Las Vegas after just one summer league game to go to China. Knicks owner James Dolan also was said to be irate because Shumpert originally didn’t want to show up to Las Vegas, and Dolan threatened to have him traded.

Woodson has been critical of Shumpert since the preseason, calling him a young player with a lot of room to grow offensively. Woodson also has made it a point to say repeatedly how stacked the Knicks are at the shooting-guard position, calling it at times a “logjam.’’

During training camp, Woodson mentioned Shumpert still had some knee soreness over the summer. Shumpert had knee surgery 19 months ago after tearing his left ACL in the 2012 playoffs. He also missed part of training camp with various ailments.

“It wasn’t so much the knee,’’ Woodson said. “He had a calf injury that slowed him down. He’s still trying to find his way. He’s still a young player whose trying to establish a game in this league. Somehow I have to help him. That’s why he’s still starting because I still believe what he does on the floor. I just expect a lot from him. Maybe too much at times.’’

Former Knicks executives Donnie Walsh and Glen Grunwald passed on Faried in the draft to take Shumpert at No. 17 because they didn’t feel Faried had the length to be a top-notch rebounder. But Faried has proven to be strong on the glass, with career averages of 8.6 rebounds in 26 minutes per game.

I like Imans Potential. Once he simplifies his offensive moves. Less dribbling. He's too explosive tobe shaking and baking. 2 dribbles pull up. 1 dribble step back. Drive the lane. Then eventually a triple threat move. Nobody can stop him once he gets that Kevin johnson pull-up going on in the mid range. He's about to blow up. I'm still mad at his defense thus far this season, but i know he's gonna snap out of it.

SOOOO they reward JR smith & his terrible brother with $20 million after a terrible playoff performance and recent marijuana suspension, but they are going to TRADE AWAY their young, talented SG who kept his head down and always gave 100%? This may be the last straw for me.

Mike Woodson seems intent on making JR Smith the 'face' of the franchise.

Big fan of Shumpert; not a fan of JR. Only thing I can say is Jalen Rose mentioned in the preseason analysis that he and BS did on youtube that Indiana had West guarding Shumpert in last year's playoffs, and that says a lot (negatively about Shump). And that's why the Knicks wanted him to develop his point skills in summer because they feel he could best help team at the point.

But Shump obviously was just coming off major knee surgery so didn't want to press it in the summer. Woody should understand that.

@The Big Stroonzo Look, its always stupid to guarantee the outcome of any one regular season game. On the other hand, Dolan made an off-hand remark at a club where his band was playing, and WAY too much was made of it. Then again, if , in fact, the players were affected by it, then Dolan should channel George Steinbrenner, and be all over their butts all season!......lol

@David Dorsey -you must have forgotten that Copeland hardly got any playing time for most of the season. Novak was deadly from three when he was wide open and in position, but as soon as the oppositiion put a man on him he became non existent. Bargniani has already proven to be much better

@bronxboy731 Why you being so nasty? In any case, I still agree with Jack. The Knicks went out and spent more for Stat and then Melo. They would have saved more by keeping Lee and not making that horrid deal sending Gallo, Chandler and the rest to Denver. We're still paying the price for that disaster.

@Knickstape -you have to understand that value on the market comes into it. They would essentially lose JR for nothing if they didnt sign him, while Shumpert might bring back significant help up front, where we could use it, for a position where there is a log jam. Its not always a straight up comparison of the two players.

@Knickstape JR was 6th man of the year, and took less money than Kyle Korver and JJ Reddick to stay. You are an idiot if you think he stinks. Shumpert is a solid player, but he's a 10 ppg player, who gets lost on defense nightly. Highly overrated by knicks fans, ala Gallo, Mozgov, etc. etc.

I don't think Shump will ever be a point guard; those skills you just don't learn, and Shump has been terrible at the point so far in his career. Seems like a great defensive-oriented shooting guard to me; his jump shot is becoming lethal.

However, if Tim Hardaway Jr is a find, Shump is a talented player that could get you a big man in return. Fact that Denver doesn't want him for Faried also says a lot.

@goats -you're not the only one by any means, but I'm kind of amazed by the Woodson bashing. You people might want to go back and look at how the Knicks did under the previous couple of coaches, and then look up their overall won-loss record under Woodson

@John Caddidy@bronxboy731 -so 54 wins and the second seed is the price for that "disaster"??....which of the players sent in that deal have emerged as big stars? Which of them have proven irreplacable for the Knicks? This business of saying the Knicks "gave away the farm" for Melo is complete nonsense

@John Caddidy@bronxboy731 Disaster? you got a top ten player for role players. One in Gallo, who tore his ACL and is actually a lesser player than Bargani, and the other in Wilson, who is never, ever healthy. Don't forget, the Knicks got Brewer too in that trade, but D'antoni refused to dress him, and the Knicks cut him. Now he's a very good player in Minnesota. What a disaster, for the Nuggets.

@John Caddidy@bronxboy731 The Barg! I think Bargoni is close enough; probably Bargnani wouldn't mind it at all. "Trade the Bargoni, keep the Canoli's"

I do like the way Barg attacks the basket. He can pick and pop, pick and roll, fake the pop and drive, and pass the ball. If he could rebound he'd be an all star. If he could rebound he'd still be in Toronto.

@wilhelmy I never would've traded for him in the first place. I would've kept "Discount double-check" Nonak and attempted to sign Copeland.

As far as the trade for Melo, I never even commented on that one....but I wasn't a big fan of that deal at that time either. Especially knowing he would've been a free agent at the end of the season and could've come if he wanted anyways.

@Bob Lyle -Bob, I tend mostly to agree with your description of Shumpert. When you talk about the advisability of a trade, however, it's goint to come down to what is being offered back, and the needs of your team. If Shump ends up having good value on the market, it might still work for the Knicks to trade him, partially because his position is one where the Knicks might almost be overloaded, and they could certainly use a rugged rebounding type up front. Personally, I'm not sure whether or not Faried is that guy

Don't understand why coaches (Woody) are so intent on trying to "make" a player learn a position that's not natural to them. Agreed bob, Shump is NOT a pg, and never will be!! Let the young man play his natural position...hell, he can even guard some 3's...he's that strong.

Perhaps he's play for a coach that truly appreciates what he brings to the table. Wait...that's every other coach in the NBA!!!

@Bob Lyle@John Caddidy@bronxboy731 -well, whether its the change of scenery, or something else, three games at center seem to indicate that Bargnani is a better rebounder and defender than he gets credit for, even though he's never going to invite comparisons to Dwight Howard and other such players. Last night he was against a team with a tough front line, and a center who's been one of the better ones this year, and he made his presence felt both in contesting shots, and on the boards